Method and apparatus for storing sheet material articles

ABSTRACT

An improved method and apparatus is utilized to store sheet material articles in a movable storage module which can be transported from a loading location to a storage location and subsequently transported to an unloading location. At the loading location, an overlapping series of sheet material articles is transferred from a shingled stream of sheet material articles onto a support pallet or tray. This support tray is then positioned to form a tier within a frame or casing of a storage module. This is repeated until the frame is filled with vertically aligned tiers on each of which is a series of overlapping sheet material articles. The support trays are then pressed downwardly to clamp the sheet material articles against movement. Each of the support trays includes an upwardly projecting support block having an angularly disposed surface which supportingly engages the first one of a series of sheet material articles. In addition, each of the support trays includes a downwardly projecting pressure block having an angularly disposed surface which is utilized to press the last one of the series of sheet material articles in a direction to compact the articles both horizontally and vertically.

States Patent [191 ise et al.

[451 Oct. 8, 1974 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORING SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLES [75] Inventors: James C. Wise; Victoriano F. Rana, both of EastomPa.

[73] Assignee: Harris-Intertype Corporation,

Cleveland, Ohio [22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 302,848

[52] 11.5. C1. 214/105 R, 206/62 R, 211/495,

214/152 [51] Int. Cl. 365g 1/18 [58] Field of Search 214/l0.5 R, 152, 7;

211/49 D, 49 S; 206/62 R; 100/199, 200, 203, 204, 205, 206

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,282,438 11/1966 Frechette 211/49 S FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 815,659 7/1959 Great Britain 214/l0.5 R 1,538,596 7/1968 France 214/l0.5 R

Primary Examiner- Frank E. Werner [5 7 ABSTRACT An improved method and apparatus is utilized to store 1 sheet material articles in a movable storage module which can be transported from a loading location to a storage location and subsequently transported to an unloading location. At the loading location, an overlapping series of sheet material articles is transferred from a shingled stream of sheet material articles onto a support pallet or tray. This support tray is then positioned to form a tier within a frame or casing of a storage module. This is repeated until the frame is filled with vertically aligned tiers on each of which is a series of overlapping sheet material articles. The support trays are then pressed downwardly to clamp the sheet material articles against movement. Each of the support trays includes an upwardly projecting support block having an angularly disposed surface which supportingly engages the first one of a series of sheet ma terial articles. In addition, each of the support trays includes a downwardly projecting pressure block having an angularly disposed surface which is utilized to press the last one of the series of sheet material articles in a direction to compact the articles both hori zontally and vertically,

35 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORING SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for storing sheet material articles and more specifically to a method and apparatus for storing a plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles in a movable storage module.

Portions of a newspaper are frequently printed, stored for a while, and then associated with other portions of the newspaper. For example, a supplement for a Sunday newspaper may be printed during the week, stored until other sections of the Sunday paper have been printed, and then combined with other sections. It has previously been suggested that the preprinted newspaper sections be disposed horizontally in vertical stacks in a storage container and then retrieved from the container when they are to be combined with other sections of the newspaper. This suggestion has been found to be unsatisfactory due to instability of the vertical stacks, a tendency for the stacked newspaper sections to become creased ay locations other than on the intended fold lines, and difficulty in machine handling of the vertical stacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new and improved method and apparatus for storing sheet material articles, such as sections of a newspaper, in storage modules. A series of overlapping sheet material articles are transferred to a tray and are positioned in an inclined orientation relative to a horizontal base of the tray by a support block. A sloping face surface on the support block engages a lower side surface of the first sheet material article to position the series of articles at an acute angle relative to the base of the tray. The tray is then inserted into a storage frame with the base of the tray horizontal. A face surface on a downwardly projecting pressure block at one end of the tray engages the upper side surface of the last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed in the frame immediately below the tray.

When the frame has been filled, the trays are pressed downwardly against the series of sheet material articles. This clamps each series of sheet material articles between the tray upon which it is supported and the tray which is immediately above it. In this manner the sheet material articles are held against undesired movement as the frame is moved to a storage location. It is contemplated that the sheet material articles may be loaded in an overlapping relationship on support trays with the trays in the frame.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for storing sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship in a movable storage module.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method of storing sheet material articles and wherein the method includes the steps of providing a frame and a plurality of support devices, forming a plurality of vertically aligned tiers of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on the support devices in the frame, and holding the sheet material articles against movement by applying a downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost portion of each series overlapped sheet material articles to press it against an associated one of the support devices.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles and wherein the apparatus includes a movable frame, trays for supporting a plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles in tiers in the frame, and retainer apparatus for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated trays during move ment of the frame. 1

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration depicting the positioning of a series of overlapping sheet material articles on a support tray and the positioning of the support tray in a movable storage module to form one of a plurality of vertically aligned tiers;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged illustration of a support tray;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged illustration of the storage module of FIG. I; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary illustration depicting the relationship between a plurality of support trays and overlapping sheet material articles in the storage module of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION A series 10 of overlapping newspaper sections 12 is transferred from a shingled stream 16 onto a support tray 14 at a loading location 20 by a suitable conveyor apparatus 22. The support tray 14 and series of overlapping newspaper sections 10 are then placed in a frame or casing 26 to form one of a plurality of vertically aligned tiers 28 in a movable storage module 30. When the frame 26 has been filled, a retainer assembly 34 is actuated to press the tiers 28 downwardly. This clamps the overlapping newspaper sections 12 on each tier against movement relative to the associated support tray and frame 26 as the storage module 30 is moved to a suitable storage location.

Each of the support trays 14 includes a longitudinally extending base section 38 (see FIG. 2) having an upper surface 40 which supportingly engages the lower edge portion of each newspaper section 12 (FIG. 1) of a series of overlapping newspaper sections disposed on the support tray. An upwardly projecting support block 44 (FIG. 2) is disposed adjacent to one end of the base sction 38 to position the newspaper sections 12 in an angled relationship relative to the surface 40 illustrated in FIG. 1. The support block 44 includes a face surface 46 which engages a lower side surface 48 of first newspaper section 12 (FIG. 4) to position the newspaper section at an acute angle relative to the horizontally extending base surface 40 of an associated tray l4. The

1 support block 44 (FIG. 2) has a solid prism configuration with a pair of right triangular end surfaces 52 and 54 which extend between the rectangular face surface 46 and rectangular bottom and end surfaces 56 and 58.

The angled orientation and open ends of the newspaper sections 12 promotes deaeration. To support the newspaper sections 12 in an overlapping and sloping right triangular side surfaces 70 and 72 extend between a rectangular end surface 76 and rectangular upper surface 78. Since the support block 44 and pressure block 62 have the same configuration, when the support tray 14 is rotated through 180 about its longitudinal axis from the position shown in FIG. 2, the block 62 extends upwardly and forms the upper support block while the block 44 extends downwardly and forms the lower pressure block. This facilitates the positioning of the tray 14 at the loading station 20 to receive a series of newspaper sections (see FIG. 1).

Each of the support trays 14 is provided with outwardly extending positioning arms 80 (FIG. 2) which are utilized to position the support tray 14 relative to the side walls 82 and 83 of the frame 26. The positioning arms 80 have an extent perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the base 38 equal to the width of a newspaper section 12 and the width of the side walls 82 and 83. Therefore, the support tray 14 can be aligned transversely relative to the side walls 82 and 83 by merely locating the ends of the positioning arms 80 in alignment with the edges of the side walls 82 and 83. The positioning arms 80 and the end surfaces 58 and 76 of the blocks 44 and 62 are disposed in abutting engagement with the inner surface of the side walls 82 and 83.

After the lowermost tier 28a (see FIG. 3) is placed in the frame 26, the support tray 14 for the next succeeding tier 28b is placed on top of the series of overlapping newspaper sections 12 disposed on the lowermost support tray. The downwardly projecting pressure block 62 of the support tray 14 for the tier 28b is disposed with its face surface 68 in abutting engagement with the uppermost surface of the last newspaper section 12 in the series of newspaper sections 10 on the tier 280. This results in the series 10 of newspaper sections 12 on tier 28a being trapped between the downwardly extending pressure block 62 for the support tray 14 of the tier 28b and the upwardly projecting support block 44 of the support tray 14 of the tier 28a. Since the face surface 68 of the pressure block 62 is disposed at the same angle as the face surface 46 of the support block'44, the newspaper sections 12 in the tier 28a are all held in the same angular position relative to the horizontal base section of the support tray 14. The angularly disposed newspaper sections 12 are pressed together by horizontal components of forces applied to the series of newspapers by the support block 44 and 7 pressure block 62.

In addition to being held between the downwardly projecting pressure block 62 of the support tray of the tier 28b and the upwardly projecting support block 44 of the support tray of the tier 28a, the series of newspaper sections disposed in the tier 28a are clamped between the lower surface 64 of the support tray in the upper tier 28b and the upper surface of the support tray in the lower tier 28a. Since the newspaper sections 12 are disposed at an acute angle relative to the horizontal surfaces of the support trays 14, the newspaper sections do not tend to buckle or crush downwardly as would vertical newspaper sections. Therefore, the series of newspaper sections 10 in tier 28a is substantially circumscribed by pressure surfaces which apply vertical and horizontal forces to the series of newspaper sections to hold it in place on the lower tier 2811. It is contemplated that the support trays 14 could be provided with downwardly expandable bottom sections to provide this pressure relationship.

As additional support trays are added to the frame 26, additional tiers 28c, 28d, 282 and 28f are formed within the frame. The newspapers in each of these tiers and tier 28b are held in the same manner as previously described in connection with tier 28a. When the frame 26 has been filled with vertically aligned and horizontally extending tiers 28, the retainer assembly 34 is actuated to firmly hold the tiers in place. The retainer assembly 34 includes a pressure member 84, such as a strap or bar, which extends across the uppermost tier 28f. The pressure member 84 is provided with a downwardly projecting pressure block 86 which has the same configuration as the downwardly projecting block 62 of FIG. 2. The pressure member 84 is disposed in a generally U-shaped slot 88 in an upper wall 90 and side walls 96 and 98 of the frame 26.

A toggle type latch assembly 92 is actuable to pull the pressure member 84 downwardly to press the bar against upper tier 28f of newspaper sections 12 and to press the pressure block 86 against the side or main surface of the last newspaper section in the upper tier 28f. This results in the trays 14 being moved downwardly in the frame 26 to firmly clamp each series of newspaper sections 12. This clamping action holds the newspaper sections 12 against sidewise or transverse movement relative to the support trays 14 as the storage module 30 is moved from the loading area 20 to a storage locatron.

When the retainer assembly 34 is actuated, the newspaper sections 12 are compressed somewhat under the influence of the retainer assembly and the support trays 14. This compressing of the newspaper sections 12 forces the air out of them to facilitate their subsequent handling. It should be noted that the pressure exerted on the uppermost tier 28f is transmitted directly to the newspaper sections in the next lower tier 28e. This is because the lowermost end portion of the pressure block 62 of the support tray for the tier 28f is disposed slightly above the upper surface of the next lower support tray when the newspaper sections are compressed under the influence of the retainer assembly 34. Thus, in FIG. 4 the lowermost end portion of the pressure block 62 for the support tray of tier 28d is disposed above the upper surface 40 of the support tray 14 for the next lower tier 280.

When the newspaper sections 12 are to be combined with other sections of a newspaper, the module 30 is moved from a storage location to an unloading location (not shown). The retainer assembly 34 is then released and the tiers 28 of overlapping newspaper sections are removed from the frame 26. The support trays l4 and frame 26 can thereafter be used to store other newspaper sections.

To enable the tiers 28 to be inserted into and removed from either side of the frame 26, the frame has the configuration of a rectangular ring with open major sides circumscribed by the side walls 82 and 83, upper wall 90 and bottom wall 100. An interior wall 104 extends inwardly from the bottom wall 100 and has a horizontal section 106 which engages the bottom surface of the lowermost support tray 14. The bottom wall 100 has side sections 108 and 110 which extend between the bottom wall 100 and horizontal section 106 to form a pair of rectangular recesses 114 and 116. The recess 114 receives the pressure block 62 on the lowermost support tray 14 when it is in the orientation shown in FIG. 3. If the support trays 14 are positioned so that the newspaper sections 12 slope toward the left rather than toward the right as shown in FIG. 3, the lowermost support block 62 will be disposed in the recess 116.

In view of the foregoing description, it can be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved method and apparatus for storing newspaper sections 12 in storage modules 30. This is accomplished by transferring a series of overlapping newspaper sections 12 onto a support tray 14. The series 10 of news paper sections 12 are held in an angular orientation relative to the horizontal base 38 of the support tray by a support block 44 which is disposed at one end of the tray 14. The support block 44 has a face surface 46 which extends at an acute angle to a horizontal support surface 40 on the base 38 of the tray and engages a lower side or main surface 48 of the first newspaper section 12 in the series 10 of newspaper sections. Since the newspaper sections 12 in the series 10 are overlapping, the support block 44 supports or positions the newspaper 12 in the series 10 in the same orientation with the base 40 as the surface 46 of the-support block 44.

When the support tray 14 is placed in the storage frame or casing 26 with the base 38 of the tray horizontal, the face surface 68 on the downwardly projecting pressure block 62 engages the upper side surface of the last newspaper section in a series of newspaper sections disposed immediately beneath the tray. When the frame has been filled and a retainer assembly 34 actuated, the support tray disposed above a series of sheet material articles is moved downwardly to clamp the underlying series of sheet material articles between upper and lower support trays 14. This downward movement of the trays 14 is guided by sliding engagement of the positioning arms 80 and surfaces 58 and 76 on the blocks 44 and 62 with the side walls 82 and 83 of the frame 26. When the retainer assembly 34 has been actuated, each series 28 of newspaper sections 12 is subjected to horizontally and vertically directed force components to hold it in place in the frame 26.

' Having described a specific invention, the following is claimed:

1. An apparatus for use in storing a series of sheet material articles in a frame, said apparatus comprising longitudinally extending base means having a flat longitudinally extending upper surface for supporting a series of overlapping sheet material articles, support means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said base and including first face surface means extending upwardly at an acute angle to said upper surface of said base means for engaging a side surface of a first sheet material article in a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on said base means to support the first sheet material article with its side surface extending at an acute angle to said support surface, and pressure applicator means disposed adjacent to another end portion of said base means opposite from said one end portion and including second face surface means extending dowwardly at an acute angle to said upper surface of said base means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base means to press the last sheet material article downwardly.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including first positioning means extending outwardly from said one end portion of said base means for use in positioning said one end portion of said base means relative to the frame, and second positioning means extending outwardly from said other end portion of said base means for use in positioning said other end portion of said base means relative to the frame.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second face surface means extend parallel to each other and are disposed in spaced apart planes.

4. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, said frame means inclduing first and second spaced apart upright end walls extending parallel to each other, a plurality of relatively movable support means disposed within said frame means, each of said support means including a longitudinally extending base having an upper surface means for supporting an associated longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles, a lower surface means for engaging an upper portion of an overlapping series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base, a first face surface means disposed adjacent to a first end portion of said base and extending upwardly at an acute angle from said upper surface means of said base for abuttingly engaging a lower side surface of the first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said upper surface means to position the first sheet material article at an acute angle relative to said base, a second face surface means disposed adjacent to a second end portion of said base and extending downwardly at an acute angle from said lower surface means of said base for abuttingly engaging an upper side surface of the last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base, first positioning surface means at said one end portion of said base for slidably engaging said first upright end wall of said frame means, and second positioning surface means at said other end portion of said base for slidably engaging said second upright end wall of said frame means, said apparatus further including means for pressing said support means downwardly to press the lower surfaces of at least some of said support means downwardly against the upper portions of at least some of the overlapping series of sheet material articles and to press the second face surfaces of at least some of said support means against the upper side surfaces of the last sheet material article in at least some of the overlapping series of sheet material articles to hold the series of sheet material articles against movement relative to said support means during movement of said frame means.

5. A method of storing sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of providing ,a plurality of support devices each of which has a generally flat longitudinally extending support surface, said step of providing a plurality of support devices includes the step of providing a plurality of support devices each of which has a face surface extending downwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent to one end of the support device, providing a movable frame for holding the support devices in a vertically tiered relationship, forming a plurality of vertically aligned and horizontally extending tiers of overlapping sheet material articles in the frame, said step of forming a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles including the step of positioning longitudi nally extending series of sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each of the support devices, and holding the sheet material articles against movement relative to the support devices by applying a downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost portion of each series of overlapped sheet material articles to press them against the associated support devices, said step of holding the sheet material articles against movement includes the step of pressing the face surface on a support device located above one series of sheet material articles downwardly against the last sheet material article in the one series of sheet material articles.

6. A method as set forth in claim further including the step of moving said frame and vertically aligned tiers of overlapping sheet material articles to a storage location.

7. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles on each of the support devices includes the step of operating a conveyor to move at least a portion of a stream of overlapping sheet material articles onto a support device.

8. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles on the support devices is performed at a loading location spaced from said frame, said step of forming a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles in the frame further including the step of moving each of the support devices with a series of overlapping sheet material articles thereon from the loading location to the frame.

9. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of holding the sheet material articles against movement relative to the support devices includes the step of moving an upper support device downwardly against the upper portion of a series of sheet material articles disposed on a lower support device.

10. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of providing a plurality of support devices includes the step of providing a plurality of support devices each of which has a face surface extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent to one end of the support device, said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the support devices includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated face surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface.

11. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, a plurality of longitudinally extending support means for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, each of said support means including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support means and face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending downwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support means during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for applying pressure against the upper portion of a series of overlapping sheet material articles to press the series of overlapping sheet material articles downwardly toward the associated support means, said retainer means being operable to press said face surface means against the side surface of the last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein each one of said support means includes face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending upwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said one support means and for supporting the first sheet material article with its side surfaces extending at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means.

13. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, said frame means including top, bottom and side walls which are interconnected and circumscribe the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, a plurality of longitudinally extending support means for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, each of said support means including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support means, said walls of said frame means cooperating to define a pair of opposite side openings through which said support means may be moved into and out of said frame means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support means during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for applying pressure against the upper portion of a series of overlapping sheet material articles to press the series of overlapping sheet material articles downwardly toward the associated support means.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said retainer means includes means for pressing at least a portion of one support means downwardly against a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on a support means beneath said one support means.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein each one of said support means includes face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending upwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said one support means and for supporting the first sheet material article with its side surfaces extending at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein each one of said support means includes face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending downwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means, said retainer means being operable to press said face surface means against the side surface of the last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein each of said support means includes a longitudinally extending base having an upper portion defining said support surface means, a first face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said base and extending upwardly at an acute angle to said support surface means for engaging a side surface of a first sheet material article in a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on said base means to support the first sheet material article with its side surface extending at an acute angle to said support surface means, and pressure applicator means disposed adjacent to another end portion of said base means opposite from said one end portion and including second face surface means extending downwardly at an acute angle to said support surface means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base means to press the last sheet material article downwardly.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 further including first positioning means extending outwardly from one end portion of said support means for use in positioning said one end portion of said support means relative to said frame means, and second positioning means extending outwardly from another end portion of said support means for use in positioning said other end portion of said support means relative to said frame means. 7 a 7 V 19. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, a plurality of longitudinally extending support means for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overp ssbs tms s ii sms rslssaii ansm thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheetmaterial articles, each one of said support means including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said one support means and face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending downwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support means during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for applying pressure against the upper portion of a series of overlapping sheet material articles to press the series of overlapping sheet material articles downwardly toward the associated support means, said retainer means beingjmerable to press said face surface means on an upper on of said support ni cins against the side surface of the last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said upperone of said support means.

20. A method of storing sheet inaterial articles as set forth in claim 19 further including the step of providing a movable frame for holding the trays in the vertically tiered relationship, said step of stacking the trays in a vertically tiered relationship including the step of positioning the trays in the frame.

21. A method as set forth'in claim 20 further including the step of moving said frame and vertically aligned tiers of trays to a storage location.

22. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles on the trays is performed at a loading location spaced from the frame, said step of positioning the trays in the frame includes the step of moving each of the trays with a series of overlapping sheet material articles thereon from the loading location to the frame.

23. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of applying downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost tier includes the step of applying a downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost series of sheet material articles.

24. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles oneach of the support trays includes the step of operating a conveyor to move at least a portion of a stream of overlapping sheet material articles onto a support tray.

25. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of providing a plurality of trays includes the step of providing a plurality of trays each of which has a face surface extending downwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent to one end of the tray, said step of holding the sheet material articles against movement further includes the step of pressing the face surface on a tray located above one series of sheet material articles downwardly against the last sheet material article in the one series of sheet material articles.

26. A rnethgdassetforlhjn claim 19 wherein said step of providing a plurality of trays includes the step 7 of providing a plurality of trays each of which has a face surface disposed at one end of the tray and extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface, said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the trays includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated face surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface.

27. A method of storing sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of support trays each of which has a generally fiat longitudinally extending support surface and an end surface extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent one end of the tray, positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each support surface of each of the trays, said step of positioning a series of said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the support trays includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated end surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface, and clamping'each series of sheet material articles against movement relative to the associated support tray by applying pressure against a major surface of the last sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles to press each series of sheet material articles toward the associated end sur-- face.

28. A method of storing sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of support trays each of which has a generally flat longitudinally extending support surface and an end surface extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent one end of the tray, positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each support surface of each of the trays, said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the support trays includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated end surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface, providing a movable frame having upstanding sidewalls for holding the trays in a vertically tiered relationship, and forming a plurality of vertically aligned and horizontally extending tiers of overlapping sheet material articles between the upstanding sidewalls of the frame.

29. A method as set forth in claim 28 further includaligned tiers of overlapping sheet material articles between the upstanding sidewalls to a storage location.

30. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material an ticles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers 'of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during ysnier ts id frame m aftem 95 9 9ation to another, a plurality of longitudinally extending support trays for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, each of said trays including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support surface means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support tray during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for pressing at least a portion of one support tray downwardly against a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on a support tray beneath said one support tray.

31. An apparatus as set forth in claim 30 wherein each one of said trays includes end surface means extending upwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one tray for engaging a first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said one of said trays and for supporting the first sheet material article with its side surfaces extending at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one of said trays.

32. An apparatus as set forth in claim 30 wherein said frame means has top, bottom and side wallswhich are interconnected and circumscribe the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, said walls cooperating to define a pair of opposite side openings through which said tray may be moved into and out of said frame means.

33. An apparatus for use in storing a series of sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising longitudinally extending base means having a flat longitudinally extending upper surface for supporting a series of overlapping sheet material articles, support means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said base and including first face surface means extending upwardly at an acute angle to said upper surface of said base means for engaging a side surface of a first sheet material article in a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on said base means to support the first sheet material article with its side surface extending at an acute angle to said support surface, and pressure applicator means disposed adjacent to another end portion of said base means opposite from said one end portion and including second face surface means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles.

34. An apparatus as set forth in claim 33 further including first positioning means extending outwardly from said one end portion of said base means for use in positioning said one end portion of said base means, and second positioning means extending outwardly from said other end portion of said base means for use in positioning said other end portion of said base means.

35. An apparatus as set forth in claim 33 wherein said first and second face surface means extend parallel to each other and are disposed in spaced apart planes.

-UNETED srArEs PATENT OFFICE fiER-TEFKQATE @F CUREQTIQN patent 3,840,150 Dated October 8, 1974 a James C. Wise et a1 Inventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Cancel claim 11 of the patent; Claim 19 has been renumbered to read claim 11; Insert the claim as shown on the attached sheet:

Signed and sealed this 18th day of February 1975.

(SEAL) Attesc:

C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C, MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer and Trademarks FORM PC4050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 U.S.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 930

U ITED STATES :eATENT eFFicE QERTiFiQATE @F QQRRECTIN Patent No Dated October 8,

James C. Wise et a1 Page 2 :inventofls) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

eme of eteiing flexible eheet teriel articles, eeid itetbefi comprising the steps of previding a plurality of eupport trays each of which has e generally flat longitudinally," extending support eurfece forming a. plurality of vertically aligned and horizontally extending tiers of overlepping sheet teriel ertielet, said step of forming a plurality of tiers of everlepping sheet material articles including the steps of poeitioning e longitudinally extending Series of flexible sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each eepport surface of eect of the treye and etaeking the trays it: verticelly tiered relationship, with a lower surface of one trey diepoeed in engagement with flexible eheet materiel articles on a next lower tray, and thereafter holding the sheet materiel articles against movement relative to the trays by applying a dewnwerzily directed pressure against f'tiie uppermost tier to preee the lower surfaces of trays above the lowermost trey against the series of sheet material articles on the next adjacent lower tray,

-Dc 60376-P69 S 10-e9) USCOMM o I U.S. GOVERN HENT PRINTING OFFICE: 

1. An apparatus for use in storing a series of sheet material articles in a frame, said apparatus comprising longitudinally extending base means having a flat longitudinally extending upper surface for supporting a series of overlapping sheet material articles, support means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said base and including first face surface means extending upwardly at an acute angle to said upper surface of said base means for engaging a side surface of a first sheet material article in a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on said base means to support the first sheet material article with its side surface extending at an acute angle to said support surface, and pressure applicator means disposed adjacent to another end portion of said base means opposite from said one end portion and including second face surface means extending dowwardly at an acute angle to said upper surface of said base means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base means to press the last sheet material article downwardly.
 2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including first positioning means extending outwardly from said one end portion of said base means for use in positioning said one end portion of said base means relative to the frame, and second positioning means extending outwardly from said other end portion of said base means for use in positioning said other end portion of said base means relative to the frame.
 3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second face surface means extend parallel to each other and are disposed in spaced apart planes.
 4. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame meAns for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, said frame means inclduing first and second spaced apart upright end walls extending parallel to each other, a plurality of relatively movable support means disposed within said frame means, each of said support means including a longitudinally extending base having an upper surface means for supporting an associated longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles, a lower surface means for engaging an upper portion of an overlapping series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base, a first face surface means disposed adjacent to a first end portion of said base and extending upwardly at an acute angle from said upper surface means of said base for abuttingly engaging a lower side surface of the first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said upper surface means to position the first sheet material article at an acute angle relative to said base, a second face surface means disposed adjacent to a second end portion of said base and extending downwardly at an acute angle from said lower surface means of said base for abuttingly engaging an upper side surface of the last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base, first positioning surface means at said one end portion of said base for slidably engaging said first upright end wall of said frame means, and second positioning surface means at said other end portion of said base for slidably engaging said second upright end wall of said frame means, said apparatus further including means for pressing said support means downwardly to press the lower surfaces of at least some of said support means downwardly against the upper portions of at least some of the overlapping series of sheet material articles and to press the second face surfaces of at least some of said support means against the upper side surfaces of the last sheet material article in at least some of the overlapping series of sheet material articles to hold the series of sheet material articles against movement relative to said support means during movement of said frame means.
 5. A method of storing sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of support devices each of which has a generally flat longitudinally extending support surface, said step of providing a plurality of support devices includes the step of providing a plurality of support devices each of which has a face surface extending downwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent to one end of the support device, providing a movable frame for holding the support devices in a vertically tiered relationship, forming a plurality of vertically aligned and horizontally extending tiers of overlapping sheet material articles in the frame, said step of forming a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles including the step of positioning longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each of the support devices, and holding the sheet material articles against movement relative to the support devices by applying a downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost portion of each series of overlapped sheet material articles to press them against the associated support devices, said step of holding the sheet material articles against movement includes the step of pressing the face surface on a support device located above one series of sheet material articles downwardly against the last sheet material article in the one series of sheet material articles.
 6. A method as set forth in claim 5 further including the step of moving said frame and vertically aligned tiers of overlapping sheet material articles to a storage location.
 7. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles on each of the Support devices includes the step of operating a conveyor to move at least a portion of a stream of overlapping sheet material articles onto a support device.
 8. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles on the support devices is performed at a loading location spaced from said frame, said step of forming a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles in the frame further including the step of moving each of the support devices with a series of overlapping sheet material articles thereon from the loading location to the frame.
 9. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of holding the sheet material articles against movement relative to the support devices includes the step of moving an upper support device downwardly against the upper portion of a series of sheet material articles disposed on a lower support device.
 10. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of providing a plurality of support devices includes the step of providing a plurality of support devices each of which has a face surface extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent to one end of the support device, said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the support devices includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated face surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface.
 11. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, a plurality of longitudinally extending support means for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, each of said support means including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support means and face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending downwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support means during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for applying pressure against the upper portion of a series of overlapping sheet material articles to press the series of overlapping sheet material articles downwardly toward the associated support means, said retainer means being operable to press said face surface means against the side surface of the last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means.
 12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein each one of said support means includes face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending upwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said one support means and for supporting the first sheet material article with its side surfaces extending at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means.
 13. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, said frame means including top, bottom and side walls which are interconnected and circumscribe the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, a plurality of longitudinally extending support means for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, each of said support means including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support means, said walls of said frame means cooperating to define a pair of opposite side openings through which said support means may be moved into and out of said frame means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support means during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for applying pressure against the upper portion of a series of overlapping sheet material articles to press the series of overlapping sheet material articles downwardly toward the associated support means.
 14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said retainer means includes means for pressing at least a portion of one support means downwardly against a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on a support means beneath said one support means.
 15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein each one of said support means includes face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending upwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said one support means and for supporting the first sheet material article with its side surfaces extending at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means.
 16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein each one of said support means includes face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending downwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means, said retainer means being operable to press said face surface means against the side surface of the last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means.
 17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein each of said support means includes a longitudinally extending base having an upper portion defining said support surface means, a first face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said base and extending upwardly at an acute angle to said support surface means for engaging a side surface of a first sheet material article in a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on said base means to support the first sheet material article with its side surface extending at an acute angle to said support surface means, and pressure applicator means disposed adjacent to another end portion of said base means opposite from said one end portion and including second face surface means extending downwardly at an acute angle to said support surface means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said base means to press the last sheet material article downwardly.
 18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 further including first positioning means extending outwardly from one end portion of said support means for use in positioning said one end portion of said support means relative to said frame means, and second positioning means extending outwardly from another end portion of said support means for use in positioning said other end portion of said support means relative to said frame means.
 19. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, a plurality of longitudinally extending support means for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, each one of said support means including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said one support means and face surface means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said one support means and extending downwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one support means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said one support means, and retaianer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support means during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for applying pressure against the upper portion of a series of overlapping sheet material articles to press the series of overlapping sheet material articles downwardly toward the associated support means, said retainer means being operable to press said face surface means on an upper one of said support means against the side surface of the last sheet material article of the series of sheet material articles disposed beneath said upper one of said support means.
 20. A method of storing sheet material articles as set forth in claim 19 further including the step of providing a movable frame for holding the trays in the vertically tiered relationship, said step of stacking the trays in a vertically tiered relationship including the step of positioning the trays in the frame.
 21. A method as set forth in claim 20 further including the step of moving said frame and vertically aligned tiers of trays to a storage location.
 22. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles on the trays is performed at a loading location spaced from the frame, said step of positioning the trays in the frame includes the step of moving each of the trays with a series of overlapping sheet material articles thereon from the loading location to the frame.
 23. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of applying downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost tier includes the step of applying a downwardly directed pressure against the uppermost series of sheet material articles.
 24. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of positioning a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles on each of the support trays includes the step of operating a conveyor to move at least a portion of a stream of overlapping sheet material articles onto a support tray.
 25. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of providing a plurality of trays includes the step of providing a plurality of trays each of which has a face surface extending downwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent to one end of the tray, said step of holding the sheet material articles against movement further includes the step of pressing the face surface on a tray located above one series of sheet material articles downwardly against the last sheet material article in the one series of sheet material articles.
 26. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of providing a plurality of trays includes the step of providing a plurality of trays each of which has a face surface disposed at one end of the tray and extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface, said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the trays includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated face surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface.
 27. A method of storing sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of support trays each of which has a generally flat longitudinally extending support surface and an end surface extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent one end of the tray, positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each support surface of each of the trays, said step of positioning a series of said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the support trays includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated end surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface, and clamping each series of sheet material articles against movement relative to the associated support tray by applying pressure against a major surface of the last sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles to press each series of sheet material articles toward the associated end surface.
 28. A method of storing sheet material articles, said method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of support trays each of which has a generally flat longitudinally extending support surface and an end surface extending upwardly at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface adjacent one end of the tray, positioning a longitudinally extending series of sheet material articles in an overlapping relationship on each support surface of each of the trays, said step of positioning a series of sheet material articles on each of the support trays includes the step of positioning a first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles in abutting engagement with an associated end surface to support the first sheet material article in each series of sheet material articles at an acute angle relative to the associated support surface, providing a movable frame having upstanding sidewalls for holding the trays in a vertically tiered relationship, and forming a plurality of vertically aligned and horizontally extending tiers of overlapping sheet material articles between the upstanding sidewalls of the frame.
 29. A method as set forth in claim 28 further including the step of moving said frame with said vertically aligned tiers of overlapping sheet material articles between the upstanding sidewalls to a storage location.
 30. An apparatus for use in storing sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising movable frame means for holding a plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to each other during movement of said frame means from one location to another, a plurality of longitudinally extending support trays for supporting a plurality of vertically aligned series of overlapping sheet material articles in said frame means to thereby form the plurality of tiers of Overlapping sheet material articles, each of said trays including a longitudinally extending support surface means for holding a longitudinally extending series of overlapping sheet material articles with the longitudinal axis of the series of sheet material articles extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said support surface means, and retainer means for holding the plurality of series of overlapping sheet material articles against movement relative to their associated support tray during movement of said frame means, said retainer means including means for pressing at least a portion of one support tray downwardly against a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on a support tray beneath said one support tray.
 31. An apparatus as set forth in claim 30 wherein each one of said trays includes end surface means extending upwardly at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one tray for engaging a first sheet material article in the series of sheet material articles associated with said one of said trays and for supporting the first sheet material article with its side surfaces extending at an acute angle to the support surface means of said one of said trays.
 32. An apparatus as set forth in claim 30 wherein said frame means has top, bottom and side walls which are interconnected and circumscribe the plurality of tiers of overlapping sheet material articles, said walls cooperating to define a pair of opposite side openings through which said tray may be moved into and out of said frame means.
 33. An apparatus for use in storing a series of sheet material articles, said apparatus comprising longitudinally extending base means having a flat longitudinally extending upper surface for supporting a series of overlapping sheet material articles, support means disposed adjacent to one end portion of said base and including first face surface means extending upwardly at an acute angle to said upper surface of said base means for engaging a side surface of a first sheet material article in a series of overlapping sheet material articles disposed on said base means to support the first sheet material article with its side surface extending at an acute angle to said support surface, and pressure applicator means disposed adjacent to another end portion of said base means opposite from said one end portion and including second face surface means for engaging a side surface of a last sheet material article in a series of sheet material articles.
 34. An apparatus as set forth in claim 33 further including first positioning means extending outwardly from said one end portion of said base means for use in positioning said one end portion of said base means, and second positioning means extending outwardly from said other end portion of said base means for use in positioning said other end portion of said base means.
 35. An apparatus as set forth in claim 33 wherein said first and second face surface means extend parallel to each other and are disposed in spaced apart planes. 